


What are friends for?

by ProcrastinatingSab



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: BTHB- bruises, Bright is the sweetest - change my mind, Dani is a badass <3, F/M, I am in a MOOD today excuse me, Something fluffy because I just felt like it, could be a slow burn brightwell, could be platonic friendship and Malcolm is sweet, whatever you decide really- lol :P
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25432360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingSab/pseuds/ProcrastinatingSab
Summary: Dani tries to hide, but not from a profiler’s eye.~~~BTHB - Bruises
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687015
Comments: 24
Kudos: 54





	What are friends for?

The lightning lit up the sky just as the thunder boomed, complementing each other for the millionth time today. The downpour had been going on for three days now. Dull, monotonous, and dreary. It wasn't unusual for that time of the year, but that didn't mean it was welcome.

It made everything more difficult. It made chasing suspects a nightmare. 

Dani threw open her front door, thoroughly drenched. It had been too windy to use an umbrella, and the small run from her car to get to her building was sufficient to soak her through. She scowled as she kicked off her high-heeled muddy boots, and chucked them to the side. Next came her coat, jeans, and wet socks, which lay in a heap by the door- a chore for another day.

She wiggled her toes and stretched her limbs, shuddering as the cold air blew past her bare skin. Dani crossed the threshold and collapsed in her favorite leather chair, which she purposely positioned near the door. She wrapped the plush velvet blanket that she kept draped over its arms the previous night, and she melted into the warmth and comfort it provided. All the tension she felt in her muscles melted away and left her wishing that she could stay like this forever. She cherished the few minutes of silence and she closed her eyes before the thunder rumbled again.

It had been a long day, and her body was aching all over. They had to pursue a suspect today, and the chase ranked in her top ten _unpleasant_ ones. Not only did she keep slipping against the mud and rain, but when she cornered the maniac in the alleyway, he pushed her roughly towards the wall, and she hit her shoulder. 

She lied to her team about the intensity of the hit. In truth, she felt fine at the time. She even went about all her other tasks with no trouble, occasionally wincing as her sore body begged for rest. It wasn't until she sat in her car that she felt how stiff her shoulder was. Dani wasn't so keen to look in the mirror and check herself for the damage. 

Being a cop was not easy, but being a female cop was even harder. It was always a struggle, a competition to prove herself, to show what she could bring to the table. After she got promoted to the rank of a detective, she'd worked even harder to prove that she earned it. Maybe she wanted to prove it too much that she ended up making the worst mistake of her career… of her life.

And before she knew it, her career in the narcotics department was over, and all that she struggled to build came crashing down. She had failed, and she saw it in everyone's faces.

Pity, contempt, disappointment.

She saw it all. 

It was just right before she almost gave up, and thought of resigning that Gil took her in. He told her that he saw her for who she was, that he didn’t judge her for what she did, that he trusted her, that she would be an asset to his team.

With eyes full of unshed tears and a choked voice, Dani thanked Gil and accepted his offer.

At first, she worked extra hard, stayed overnight working on their cases. She wanted to have an excellent closure rate. She needed to prove that Gil was right to give her a second chance.

But they didn't need her to do that... She soon realized that she _was_ already respected and appreciated. Gil and JT always _always_ treated her as an equal despite them having more years under their belts.

Then Dani began to relax.

She joked more, smiled often. She no longer walked in the precinct with her head lowered, avoiding her colleagues' gazes. 

Still, part of her would sometimes revert to her old ways and pull on her 'tough girl act.' After all, getting rid of old habits that were second nature to her was hard. She supposed that's why she lied about her shoulder.

Sighing, Dani walked to the bathroom mirror, and lifted her shirt inspecting the damage. She could see some angry blue bruising along the side of her right shoulder. She touched it and recoiled, instantly wincing.

“Great!” she muttered, “this will stay.”

She continued to look at her reflection, taking in the haggard eyes that stared back, and the messy hair that hung limp at her shoulder. Today had not been kind to her _at all._

Maybe she should call it a day. 

As if protesting the thought, her stomach grumbled angrily. She had forgotten to eat today. Spending lunchtime with Bright while they worked would do that. She shook her head in disbelief and a stupid grin crept up her face. Soon enough, he'd have them all drinking sparkling water and nibbling licorice sticks.

Her stomach grumbled again and she sighed. She really craved a cheeseburger to quench this hunger. Actually, she yearned for a hot bath even more.

She made up her mind very quickly. 

Dani cranked the faucet and adjusted the temperature, adding some soap and lavender smelling salts in the tub and waited for it to fill up. She then poured herself a glass of Whiskey, hoping to numb the throbbing in her shoulder and stiffness of her muscles. The bottle had been a gift from Gil, and though she seldom drinks, she decided that today was an exception. 

She sank in the tub, moaning as the hot water melted all the tension in her body, and her muscles relaxed. She breathed in deeply, cherishing the quiet atmosphere. The hot water, the smell of lavender and the sound of rain outside lulled her to sleep. 

It didn’t last long before her phone’s buzzing broke the spell. Her groan of frustration changed into a frown of confusion when she saw Bright’s number. It certainly was late for it to be about a case, and even though she knew Bright worked their cases at all hours of the night, he was always respectful of their time off and wouldn’t call unless it’s important.

“Bright! Everything alright?” she asked and realized from his shuddering breaths and the loud sound of the rain in the background that he was on the streets.

“Hey, Dani! Yah! Can you… _buzz me in_?” he asked her, breathless. 

“You’re _here? At my place?_ ”

“Yeah..” there was a short pause, “but I can leave if you’re busy?”

"No, no, just a second! I'll buzz you in!" Dani hung up before she heard his reply, and she jumped out of the tub. She quickly carried the puddle of clothes that was next to the door while looking frantically around the place, judging what else she needed to hide.

Satisfied with the state of her place, she quickly buzzed him in and ran to get dressed before he came up. 

When she came back, wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, Malcolm was still standing by the door. He was soaked wet, his hair dripping water into his eyes, and he was shivering. He was holding a waterproof bag in his hands.

His face lit up when he saw her, and she found herself smiling as well. Dani handed him a towel as she looked at him. “You look awful. Come in before you freeze!”

"Do I?" he asked innocently as he dried his hair and face "because I feel great! Always loved walking in the rain."

Dani’s eyes widened in shock. “You came here walking? Are you crazy!”

"Among many things," he shrugged like he couldn't help it. Then as if he just remembered, his eyes widened, and he quickly handed her the bag he was holding. "Oh! For you..." 

Dani took the bag with a raised eyebrow and watched as he stood, “What's in the bag, Bright?” 

"It's a cheeseburger from that place across the street that you like. I noticed you didn't eat today when we were working... and I knew, given the weather and your shoulder injury, that you'll go straight home," he explained. When she said nothing and kept staring at him, shocked, he squinted and bit his lips. "Did I say something?"

“How did you know about my shoulder?” she narrowed her eyes and instinctively put a protective hand over it. 

"Just like that." he pointed at her hand, and she dropped it instantly. "You've been leaning on your left side most of the day, after the chase. You put your bag on the other shoulder when you left, and you winced every time you moved too quickly."

Dani fake gasped and glowered at him, “Malcolm Bright, are you profiling me again?”

He seemed to squirm under her gaze and looked at his feet. "I was just worried about you, Dani."

Not expecting them, the words made her face go hot. She bit the inside of her cheeks to stop the grin that spread across her face but failed miserably. Instead, she teased, “smartest thing you’ve said all day!”

Malcolm beamed back when he realized no rebuke was coming, and she saw that he was debating his next words. "Um… there is also some gauze and creams for the bruise."

She looked at the contents of the bag and then her head whipped back to look at him. He raised his hands in surrender. “I promise I haven’t told anyone!”

“No one?” she squinted. 

"Promise!" he looked at her earnestly, and she relaxed. 

“Aren’t you going to come in? We can share the food.”

“You know me. Not a big fan of eating. Besides, Sunshine is waiting for me at the loft. She gets scared when there’s thunder.” 

“Poor Sunshine..” Dani cooed. 

“Yeah..” Bright straightened the collar of his coat, preparing to go. 

"Um… Bright?" she stepped closer, and he turned to look at her, his inquisitive blue eyes shining staring into her soul. "Thank you… for this. Umm, It was very sweet."

Malcolm looked startled, but then he laughed and didn't bow his head, still looking into her eyes. It was a move so foreign to him. "What are friends for!" he said, and then he was gone. 

Dani rested her hair at the door, watching him leave, smiling.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Loook. I was in the mood for this. That's all lol. 
> 
> Now that it's out of my system, I'll continue working on my Wip :P
> 
> If you liked it, leave a comment! They make my day <33


End file.
